People often mistake calm people for being passive, lazy or non-engaged. It’s their lost opportunity, because more than likely, they are interacting with someone who has learned and earned one of the top five secrets to success which is ….drum roll please…CALMNESS.

You see, calmness takes a massive degree of self-control and self-control is the grand master of character traits that the world’s greatest leaders and the super successful have disciplined themselves to use to get and stay successful. And, calmness is an attribute that benefits virtually each and every one of us, regardless of what success we’re going after be it sports, spiritual, political, physical, financial or entrepreneurial.

“Success Isn’t Measured By Money Or Power Or Social Rank. Success Is Measured By Your Discipline And Inner Peace.” Mike Ditka

I wanted to write this post because more than ever, we are being challenged to remain calm, carry on to claim maximum success as individuals, a nation and in order to sustain as the Country having the most positive impact and influence globally. Never more than before, are we constantly being bombarded with information from so many sources on so many devices. Never more than before, we need to remain calm when we receive all of these and one’s own personal life’s experiences. Never more than before, we need to consciously decide what we want to engage in, why and when and then remain calm before, during and after any engagement.

I’m not being preachy at all, I’m merely stating the truth about how to accomplish Maximum Success amid today’s global challenges, which is that inner calmness insulates you from chaos and confusion delivering you external success. The one who masters calmness, can and will achieve and succeed against any and all odds.

Here are the Top Five Practices to Get You Calm to Carry On to Achieve Maximum Success:

1. MENTAL: Keep your mind calm and focused by only engaging with people, events, sources and in activities that directly relate to accomplishing your major goal and eliminate or minimize those sources that cause chaos, confusion and negativity.

2. PHYSICAL: The basic body wise tenants are the most powerful here: Don’t over consume or under consume sleep, food and exercise. Eat foods that are life-giving and not energy draining. Get the amount of sleep that is ideal for you, and do engage in some form of exercise.

3. SPIRITUAL: Pray, meditate, join a healing circle, chant, or read spiritually uplifting books. Do find and connect to a supreme power source of your own choosing.

4. FINANCIAL: Don’t take any risks that you can’t afford to take. Be realistic. Don’t make financial decisions from a place of desperation. Trust the right thing will come at the right time.

5. ENVIRONMENTAL: Spend time in nature away from all your devices, social media, the news and material things.

Minimize your world by engaging in only those things that positively contribute to the advancement of your becoming more internally at peace. To become a master maker of riches and achieve Maximum Success, everything you do must be done with peace.

In Closing My Shocking Confession: The great recession had its challenges for all of us. My challenge was that all of a sudden, I became a target for many people and companies who knew what I had and wanted to take it from me by any illegal means possible. I had never experienced such blatant greed and dishonesty in my life. I guess I was naïve. I really didn’t want to believe people could be that way. I had no recourse but to defend myself. The “defending myself” was having to do so amid massive chaos, confusion, lies, character assassinations and regularly being trespassed upon at my own home. It became a 24/7 battle ground. I was an inch away from losing everything to cheaters and liars. I had seven attorneys around the clock “helping me”. Financial, mental, physical and spiritual collapse was a real and present danger. But, I refused to break down. And then…I won!! And, I won with integrity, honesty and a staunch determination not to let the “bad guys” rob me of my calm. I knew that the only way through and to success was to remain as calm as possible by using every and any tool I could to remain calm.